View Full Version : Mountain House question
Stir Fry
01-05-2010, 18:46
I wanted to try the Mountain House ground beef, so I ordered a #10 can. I was surprised when the can said it was only good for a week after opening. I called Mountain House and they said if I had a vacum sealer I would extent that time. The coustomed service person seemed like she wanted to tell me that if I vacum sealed it I woulld get more time. I aske about several months and she said I would probly be ok. Does any one have an idea how long I can realy expect it to last if I vacum seal it as soon as I open it? I was hoping to use the ground beef and the chicken on my thru hike, I would probably need to seal all of it before I left.
Would freezing it after sealing improve the time it would last?
It sounds like you should try some experiments with your can. I need to do the same. I'm actually preparing one of my proposed thru-hike meals, albeit with fewer calories than I really desire. (540)
Yes, freezing it would extend the life of it.
wcgornto
01-05-2010, 19:13
I wanted to try the Mountain House ground beef, so I ordered a #10 can. I was surprised when the can said it was only good for a week after opening. I called Mountain House and they said if I had a vacum sealer I would extent that time. The coustomed service person seemed like she wanted to tell me that if I vacum sealed it I woulld get more time. I aske about several months and she said I would probly be ok. Does any one have an idea how long I can realy expect it to last if I vacum seal it as soon as I open it? I was hoping to use the ground beef and the chicken on my thru hike, I would probably need to seal all of it before I left.
Would freezing it after sealing improve the time it would last?
I thru hiked last year and had Mountain House for dinner most nights on trail. I bought #10 cans of a variety of dinner entrees from thereadystore.com. I opened all cans and repackaged in daily portions before I began my hike. I did this in early June and I ate the repackaged meals all the way through my hike which I finished on November 29th. I vacuum sealed the meals when I repackaged them. I pre-staged mail drops and these meals were in priority mail boxes waiting shipment for months. I had no spoilage whatsoever. Everything came out perfectly. You should be fine with vacuum resealing.
Stir Fry
01-05-2010, 19:35
I thru hiked last year and had Mountain House for dinner most nights on trail. I bought #10 cans of a variety of dinner entrees from thereadystore.com. I opened all cans and repackaged in daily portions before I began my hike. I did this in early June and I ate the repackaged meals all the way through my hike which I finished on November 29th. I vacuum sealed the meals when I repackaged them. I pre-staged mail drops and these meals were in priority mail boxes waiting shipment for months. I had no spoilage whatsoever. Everything came out perfectly. You should be fine with vacuum resealing.
Thats what I wanted to know. It di not make scence that if they package it its good for 7 years and onle a week if we do it at almost 1/2 the price.
Take out what you need and freeze the rest, be sure to leave the desiccant packets in with it.
Humidity is what makes it go bad. So keep moisture away and as air tight as you can and all is good.
Wise Old Owl
01-05-2010, 20:46
Take out what you need and freeze the rest, be sure to leave the desiccant packets in with it.
Humidity is what makes it go bad. So keep moisture away and as air tight as you can and all is good.
Sabar,
I am going out on a limb here (much like my avatar) and think the can is packed in a gas like nitrogen and that removes all the air to get the 25 year shelf life... FD is just a extra notch in preservation hense the one week when open.
Stir Fry
01-05-2010, 21:03
Take out what you need and freeze the rest, be sure to leave the desiccant packets in with it.
Humidity is what makes it go bad. So keep moisture away and as air tight as you can and all is good.
Know of any place yuo can buy desiccant packets. Ill yse them if I can get them.
.
I have tested this product for six months with two methods. One using Reynolds Handi-Vac bags and regular zip lock bags. Both have worked fine. I did sprinkle a bit of salt inside. They were also inside and I live in an area with low humidity.
My guess is that this will last a long time as long as it it dry.
wcgornto
01-05-2010, 23:23
Know of any place yuo can buy desiccant packets. Ill yse them if I can get them.
.
You won't need them if you vacuum seal.
My inclination exactly --- upon opening the can, divide into per-serving amounts (1.5 oz to 2 oz max works for me for a hefty solo meal), vacuum seal each one individually, store the results in the freezer.
When I got my first set of #10 cans of freeze dried food the instructions said after opening the can to pour the leftover into a ziplock and store in the can with the provided lid. The only product that seems to go down hill is the meat(beef) after 6 months. The fat develops an old smell but the taste does not change if you hold your nose. Freezing if you have the space would slow the process way down.
Know of any place yuo can buy desiccant packets. Ill yse them if I can get them.
.
www.packitgourmet.com - they sell two kinds.
And btw, they work well in meals that one seals up with a FoodVac for long term storage.